First off, the vintage-style packaging.
- Folks are saying that the cardstock is thinner, but compared to the VOTC and later lines' cards, it's identical in weight, cut, and thickness. Only those cards had protective clamshells, while these don't. Some bending has already occurred on these cards that I saw on shelves, their off-center design is part of the problem. The holes are pre-punched and still off-center, not J-hooked so getting to figures in the back does require pulling others off the shelf first. The peg holes are reinforced with a little plastic addition to resist tearing.
- In terms of design, since they don't have clamshells to hold stickers, each one has a choke warning printed in the upper right corner with the "Ages 4 and up" moved to the left above a true item/asst # instead of the classic item numbers. It looks a little busier and doesn't mesh well with the old school elements, but it's fairly minor in the scheme of things. The back design is virtually identical to the VOTC in the larger details, still that awkward color swoop, no bio, a pic of the classic version it's emulating (Han is new so the card calls that out instead), and it adds a "VC##" to the upper right and a UPC and more safety text to the bottom under the "other figures" section. The UPC is not a sticker, so one will need to cut that part of the card to mail in TVC POPs for the mail-away (and since it's the bottom right, it's behind the coffin blister).
- The coffin blisters are held on like the VOTC and such. Some of my figures, it was well attached, others like the Cloud Car Pilot though, it almost fell off before I opened it. I predict a low but notable failure rate for this. The coffin is slightly vented at the very bottom via an unglued slot, and has a fold-in tab to hold the mail-away certificate. I noticed that due to less tray space, some of the accessories are already put in holsters, Luke Bespin's gun did not want to come out after being in there for so long.
- The starburst shout-out sticker for mail-away Fett is indeed "low-tack". Because it's die-cut into the starburst, it won't come away in 1 pull, it'll rip itself, but each remnant will be easy to remove and leave nothing behind.

And now, the figures...

JediTricks

07-14-2010, 04:57 PM

Dengar - This is, surprisingly, an improvement in many ways over the Saga version which was quite good for its time. More articulation, a working holster, sharper sculpting. The hands are an odd, narrow pistol-holding pose but they seem to work fine. The paint has weathering here and there, it could have been more even but it's good none the less. They painted his neck fleshy despite being hidden, weird. Unfortunately, there are 2 oddities that hold it back from being awesome in my eyes. First is the head, the sculpt is very good, but the head wrap ends prematurely making the head look disconnected from the figure, and it's a little too tall. Second is the removable codpiece and belt-front, this stands out as very odd mainly because it doesn't stay on that well. Since there's sculpting underneath, my guess is they're considering a reuse of that part down the road, but I can't imagine for what. Still, overall this is a pretty decent figure.

Leia Hoth - they gave every part of the costume weathering, colored the vest only slightly off from the jumpsuit, and got the little techy details. The face sculpt is fair if a tad simple and lacking detail at the hairline. Face deco is still very pale, Hasbro can't seem to find Leia's coloring, and while the eyebrows are thin they're still not quite close enough to be right (they also left out the small black under her eyes). The head is a bit obvious on the ball joint cuts. Articulation is good, standard waist keeps the small figure's lines looking right, but no ankle articulation is a big of a let-down. Her hands are very narrow gun poses, but they work. The sculpt is a bit hip-y, it balances well to the separate vest piece but without her vest her hips get too big for the figure. Leia comes with just 1 gun, a Rebel DH-17 blaster (the kind the Rebel Fleet Troopers sport in ANH), it's black with a silver barrel. I like the figure, but the leg pose is a bit wider than I would have liked, it's not extreme by any measure though.

JediTricks

07-14-2010, 05:36 PM

Han Echo Base - first off, his card picture isn't even this outfit, what the heck? This figure is from when Han is welding on the Falcon in his Hoth coat. Hasbro frankensteined this body, it's part VTSC Han Endor (lower torso, legs) and part TSC Han Torture Rack (upper torso, arms), so the coat's arms are the wrong ones, not the thicker, textured lines they should be, but if you didn't look for it, they match up ok to the new separate coat piece. The figure's legs are still a massive problem, too narrow for the shoulders or the body, and a biiiig gunbelt that fits for crap. The gunbelt is a huge problem IMO, it keeps the coat from sitting normally by its floating away from the figure, and adding the gun (the WRONG gun, I might add, still the ANH version) makes this much worse. The coat sculpt is pretty good, it's flared open towards the bottom, hangs nicely, even has a painted inner white lining; no rank badge though, but that may be accurate to the scene, hard to remember. The new head sculpt is recognizably Han, but its exaggerated features come off cartoony from straight on, it looks much better from sides. The figure comes with a welding mask and welder, both designed to be held, but the figure's arms can't bend at the elbow enough to get the mask right up in front of his face. All in all, this is a mixed figure that sort of works, but enough flaws to make it hard to recommend.

(I'm going to save Luke Bespin comments for later, it'll be a biggie because I really like the figure.)

AT-AT Commander - this figure frustrates me. It's a simple idea, take parts from recent Imperials and add a new "skirt" with a belt and holster, a removable armor vest, and a helmet. It's a recipe that depends on the armor, and unfortunately the helmet totally undoes the figure in my eyes. The rest of the figure is fine, the permanent belt doesn't even bother me (although what's the point of removable chest armor and not this?), but the helmet is MASSIVE on this guy's melon. The helmet is so big it can be pushed down over his eyes. Yet he comes with goggles that are designed specifically to fit in his eye sockets, but the giant helmet isn't big enough to accommodate the goggles without flaring out even further! If you can get past that (and you'll want to, since it's the armored look that works best for this figure), then you end up with a tiny face out of the helmet. And the helmet is a slightly off design without goggles on top, but the goggles don't fit over the top without stretching them to a ruining point. The helmet has a little sculpted detail inside and out that looks good though. The armor vest looks very nice, a sharp sculpt and a few tiny painted details really make it pop, but it's a bit asymmetrical. The chest under the vest has a new rank badge and pip, I think a 2-level LT's badge, but they're silver without colored panels. Articulation is new-Imp-officer standard, good, and uses alternate legs from a different officer figure so they're narrower and have the riding pants thighs. Deco is simple but good except for the gray ankle hinges in the black boots, and the boots themselves and gloves are matte instead of shiny. The sculpted holster on the new "skirt" works surprisingly well, if you can get past the "facing outwards" design of those right-side holsters. The face sculpt is a tad specific for my tastes, but it's snotty, which is about right for movie Imps. :D Bottom line, I don't hate this figure, it's standard Imp Officer fare, but it's undone by the helmet design, so it's not quite there.
- (And a reminder, don't be fooled by pics of the goggles over the top of the helmet, they're not designed to work that way, it ruins the goggles by stretching them well beyond their diameter and may even tear when you try.)

El Chuxter

07-14-2010, 06:14 PM

AT-AT Commander. Dang. I figured there was one more I missed.

Mr. JabbaJohnL

07-14-2010, 06:16 PM

The UPC is not a sticker, so one will need to cut that part of the card to mail in TVC POPs for the mail-away (and since it's the bottom right, it's behind the coffin blister).
But the mail-away works with basically any figure since July 2008, so it's not really an issue.

bigbarada

07-14-2010, 09:47 PM

I only have Hoth Leia and Threepio from this wave so far.

I pretty much agree with JT's assessment of Leia; but I think the likeness is actually pretty good. I'm also thinking that the pale face is just because she's cold, being that it's Hoth and all. :p But yeah, her stance is definitely wide and the lack of ball-joint ankles is a big minus to me.

See-Threepio (I know some of you hate to see droids' names typed out like that, but it's just so much easier for me because I don't have to look at the keyboard like I would if I was typing C-3PO): This figure is amazing! Definitely the best Threepio figure ever made and is already in my top five for all-time greatest Star Wars figure. Some claim that he is too short, but not if you use the "official" Lucasfilm height listed for the character. My biggest gripe with all past Threepio figures was that their bodies were too chunky and the heads were too small and thin. This version is finally in the correct proportions and the level of detail is amazing. Some might complain about the lack of vac-metalization, but I think it was a necessary sacrifice to get Threepio out of the mid-90s and get him caught up with the quality that we've become used to in the rest of the line.

Didn't we ask a question to Hasbro about Threepio in the past and they commented that it was impossible to do the vac-metalized coating on a super-articulated figure? I know it's been addressed before but I just don't remember when.

JediTricks

07-15-2010, 04:42 PM

AT-AT Commander. Dang. I figured there was one more I missed.Yeah, with 11 figures in a case, it's easy to forget 1, I forgot about Dack when I picked them up (they didn't have him because he's not in the R1 case, but I didn't think about it at the time).

I only have Hoth Leia and Threepio from this wave so far.

I pretty much agree with JT's assessment of Leia; but I think the likeness is actually pretty good. I'm also thinking that the pale face is just because she's cold, being that it's Hoth and all. :p But yeah, her stance is definitely wide and the lack of ball-joint ankles is a big minus to me. The pale face can be compared to the picture on the front of the card, which isn't as pale.

See-Threepio (I know some of you hate to see droids' names typed out like that, but it's just so much easier for me because I don't have to look at the keyboard like I would if I was typing C-3PO): This figure is amazing! Definitely the best Threepio figure ever made and is already in my top five for all-time greatest Star Wars figure. Some claim that he is too short, but not if you use the "official" Lucasfilm height listed for the character. My biggest gripe with all past Threepio figures was that their bodies were too chunky and the heads were too small and thin. This version is finally in the correct proportions and the level of detail is amazing. Some might complain about the lack of vac-metalization, but I think it was a necessary sacrifice to get Threepio out of the mid-90s and get him caught up with the quality that we've become used to in the rest of the line.I fully disagree with you about the scale, 3PO stands the same height as Luke and this figure is a 3rd of a head shorter even at the shoulders, he's also way slighter. Taking this figure in a contextual vacuum, I kinda like this figure although the thigh armor and pose problems and proportional issues of the torso elements all bug me. Taking this figure in context though, it's hard for me to like. Compare it to U-3PO, it comes out behind in almost every way.

Didn't we ask a question to Hasbro about Threepio in the past and they commented that it was impossible to do the vac-metalized coating on a super-articulated figure? I know it's been addressed before but I just don't remember when.No, they said it didn't meet their wear standards, it didn't hold up on the smaller joints. They said they couldn't vac-metalize THIS figure because it's made of PVC which won't take the vac-metalizing, but they also had told us previously that they had been doing research on this kind of shinier coloring so it was always on their minds.

C-3PO - This is the first non-chromed gold C-3PO we've gotten since the Saga Ultra figure that I can think of, ad the gold looks pretty good, although it takes a greenish tone in some artificial lighting, and Hasbro sprayed a bronze spot sloppily across part of the stomach circle and lower chest. The deco has more goin on though, a few silver touches outside that make it look better, and internal stuff that I'll get to later. The first thing noticed in the coffin blister tray is that he's got no midsection, that's due to the ball-jointed midsection being forced forward, he does actually have the black and wired stomach when you straighten him out. That said, he has less than he should because Hasbro got his upper torso and crotch proportions wrong, too much of both. The figure comes off dumpy due to the odd flared hip design and lower stomach circle, but it's not as bad if you bend his mid-torso joint all the way back. This 3PO's also very short and scaled to match, the character is short, listed as 5cm shorter than Luke, but compared to even the rather short recent Death Star 2 Luke, this 3PO is noticeably shorter at the head and the shoulder; compared to the BAD U-3PO, it's even worse; heck, even compared to Clone Wars 3PO it's shorter (but much brighter in color). Ultimately this 3PO is too small, and against any R2-D2 (which is always too tall), it's a disaster. For sculpted detailing, the work is pretty sharp, and there's more of it than ever, but the thin upper arms and lack of elbow piston hurt more than I expected. Articulation is "super", except for the head which is a standard swivel, and the hips are hampered by the extra flare of the crotch which shouldn't even be there in the first place. I find posing this figure difficult though as I'm often fighting against the mid-torso joint to make it not look dumpy, but the permanent upwards tilt of the head becomes a problem, and the arms have to stay bent or they look too long (and may be), so it's an awkward affair. Then there's the 4 removable panels, the first is the face and this mostly works when on, the eyes seem a little small (and watch for paint issues) but it looks good and stays on ok. The mask when removed has cut out eyes and mouth, and inside there's sculpted detailing (taking it off reminds me of that Simpsons episode where they went to Itchy & Scratchy Land and all the Scratchy robots would scream when they had their faces removed). Without the mask, the inner face is Ep 1 3PO with a good sculpt and paint, but it looks so weird permanently attached to the back of the gold head cover, like a pharoh. The chest panel stays on very nicely, and also has sculpted detailing inside; under the panel is Ep 1 3PO again and this looks more natural than the naked head, but the stomach highlights 2 things: the waist design flares out to that pear-shaped dumpiness of the hips, and the '99 Ep 1 3PO figure has the wrong stomach design. There's a very-well hidden panel on his back and has a little sculpted detail on the panel inside but also a datestamp; inside the figure's back is a silver and black recessed panel with 4 red dots, it's neat but it doesn't look like the ESB coverless design. Finally, 3PO's right thigh front comes off, more sculpted detail inside, but this thing falls off very easily on mine and is small enough to get lost in an instant. Under the thigh is a black mesh with wires, but no actuators that the Ep 1 design showed. In terms of hiding that these are removable, it does a good job except for 2 things: the stomach panel circle cuts off at the sides instead of fully encircling it, and the thigh armor doesn't stay on well enough to hide its gap, but the concept is far better than I expected otherwise.

Bottom line on C-3PO is an interesting design exercise, and some real improvements for C-3PO figures taken outside the context of this figure, but this is a finished product that has 3 significant enough problems (tiny size, dumpy proportions, posing issues; plus several notable nitpicks) that, while I like some of this figure outside the context, I cannot recommend this figure on the overarching merits.

Dack Ralter - I don't have this figure yet. It's based on the Evo Rebel Snowspeeder body though, not the newer Luke body.

Darth Vader - only you could be so bold... Hasbro, to release another Vader figure with few changes! Something that has bugged me about Hasbro's Vader figures since the VOTC has been the "chiffon" capes and the helmet sculpts that aren't exactly from any movie, both of which are still found here. And why not? It's basically the same figure as TLC Vader from '08, except with a change to the head/helmet design. It still has the same articulation, still the pointless open right hand that can't hold anything, still the oversized "mouth" on the mask, still the silver ROTJ shoulder armor (which here should be black for ESB). That said, this Vader comes off better than the '08 one whose tray misshaped the helmet where this new one has a more even shape, and the figure now has glossier blacks and the chiffon capes are a slightly finer material so less fraying around the edge and a cleaner look that hangs nicer and is ever so slightly less see-through. For the redesigned helmet, the upper 2 parts seem to be from the same tooling, but molded with more care so it's very slightly sharper and has better detailing, they sit together much better, and they don't gap at the collar as badly (although they also come off easier as well). The lowest part of the helmet, the collar, is now removable when you pop the whole head off, the sculpt seems the same while the silver details on the back are more subtle on the old version. The underlying head in the mask looks similar, but not quite as sharp, this does seem to be a new sculpt - perhaps based on the old one, but the brow ridge is different. They're both good, but the new one shows a little more mouth, and it's less pink, so in the collar-wearing state the new one is better. With the helmet removed, unfortunately it's this slightly happy-looking, chinless weirdo missing the lower back of his skull, and sporting a white stripe from the chin to the left ear. I don't understand the white paint stripe at all. And Vader without any mask looks ridiculous, although slightly reminiscent of Darth Malak and Darth Sidious, so there is precedent. A nice side-effect of the newly-removable head though is that the cape can be removed and repositioned so instead of pegging through the cape, it pegs between the cape and the silver chain string which looks a little better, although the cape is set a bit further back on the shoulders this way (one could cut and re-sew to accommodate this, but it's right on a hem so that would require a little effort to get right), but the unsightly silver chain sticking out is no longer the same kind of issue and that's a big deal in my book. Take a look at my comparison shot: http://yfrog.com/5bvadercompareeditj

Bottom line, this new Vader isn't a major update to the last one, it's not even really an ESB design what with the removable helmet and silver armor, but the removable collar is a nifty addition both as a curiosity and for repositioning the cape, and the figure's execution has better molding and nicer fabric for the cape. I like this figure better than the TLC one but it still hasn't hit it out of the park for me yet. If you already have the TLC version, I can only recommend it to those who like it but wante better execution on it, to those looking for a truly new and superior Vader figure I say wait for Hasbro to go back to the drawing board.

Boba Fett - this is a straight repaint of the Evo Fett figure which was re-released in darker colors just last year in TLC. I didn't buy it as it was the only missing figure from the case. This TVC version seems to have a slightly lighter paint job than the LC one, and a few slightly different paint apps, but looks largely the same to my eyes in all the photos I've seen.

4-LOM - this is a straight repack of the TAC figure, no change on the paint from what I can tell. Easy pass, predict pegwarming.

Darth Metalmute

07-15-2010, 05:16 PM

Dack Ralter - I don't have this figure yet. It's based on the Evo Rebel Snowspeeder body though, not the newer Luke body.

I picked up Dak. While it is not the best figure in the line, it fits in a much needed void. The face is more of a drone face that Dak's, almost like the I-Robot robot. The removable helmet works well with this figure, although I found it rather easy to pull the head off. (well I didn't, but my daughter did) Oddly, the blaster is not attached to the hand by those plastic bands like most carded figures (which I like because it seems most hands do a poor job of holding the weapons without them). The seperate trigger finger helps hold the blaster better than most I've seen. The rifle is very "gummy" and slides off Daks shoulders. I haven't really looked closely at it as I was in a hurry when I opened.

JediTricks

07-15-2010, 05:28 PM

Interesting. I can't say I'm surprised about the helmet, a lot of them have held onto the heads lately, I find pulling them off with the head tilted all the way back holds a little better.

Good point about the lack of clear-bands, I think all of these figures are like that in this wave, using the tray and tape for the longer accessories but no clear bands.

I personally prefer no clear bands because they warp the hand and accessory, and they get brittle and break after a few years leaving you hunting for the now-missing part.

Something I thought about while writing those 2 reviews today, other versions of Vader and 3PO both have already appeared on these cards in the modern line, just slightly different poses. Boba Fett has appeared on the same card except it was the ROTJ version.

bigbarada

07-15-2010, 05:28 PM

C-3PO - This is the first non-chromed gold C-3PO we've gotten since the Saga Ultra figure that I can think of, ad the gold looks pretty good, although it takes a greenish tone in some artificial lighting, and Hasbro sprayed a bronze spot sloppily across part of the stomach circle and lower chest. The deco has more goin on though, a few silver touches outside that make it look better, and internal stuff that I'll get to later. The first thing noticed in the coffin blister tray is that he's got no midsection, that's due to the ball-jointed midsection being forced forward, he does actually have the black and wired stomach when you straighten him out. That said, he has less than he should because Hasbro got his upper torso and crotch proportions wrong, too much of both. The figure comes off dumpy due to the odd flared hip design and lower stomach circle, but it's not as bad if you bend his mid-torso joint all the way back. This 3PO's also very short and scaled to match, the character is short, listed as 5cm shorter than Luke, but compared to even the rather short recent Death Star 2 Luke, this 3PO is noticeably shorter at the head and the shoulder; compared to the BAD U-3PO, it's even worse; heck, even compared to Clone Wars 3PO it's shorter (but much brighter in color). Bottom line, this 3PO is too small, and against any R2-D2 (which is always too tall), it's a disaster. For sculpted detailing, the work is pretty sharp, and there's more of it than ever, but the thin upper arms and lack of elbow piston hurt more than I expected. Articulation is "super", except for the head which is a standard swivel, and the hips are hampered by the extra flare of the crotch which shouldn't even be there in the first place. I find posing this figure difficult though as I'm often fighting against the mid-torso joint to make it not look dumpy, but the permanent upwards tilt of the head becomes a problem, and the arms have to stay bent or they look too long (and may be), so it's an awkward affair. Then there's the 3 removable panels, the first is the face and this mostly works when on, the eyes seem a little small (and watch for paint issues) but it looks good and stays on ok. The mask when removed has cut out eyes and mouth, and inside there's sculpted detailing (taking it off reminds me of that Simpsons episode where they went to Itchy & Scratchy Land and all the Scratchy robots would scream when they had their faces removed). Without the mask, the inner face is Ep 1 3PO with a good sculpt and paint, but it looks so weird permanently attached to the back of the gold head cover, like a pharoh. The chest panel stays on very nicely, and also has sculpted detailing inside; under the panel is Ep 1 3PO again and this looks more natural than the naked head, but the stomach highlights 2 things: the waist design flares out to that pear-shaped dumpiness of the hips, and the '99 Ep 1 3PO figure has the wrong stomach design. Finally, 3PO's right thigh front comes off, more sculpted detail inside, but this thing falls off very easily and is small enough to get lost. Under the thigh is a black mesh with wires, but no actuators that the Ep 1 design showed. In terms of hiding that these are removable, it does a good job except for 2 things: the stomach panel circle cuts off at the sides instead of fully encircling it, and the thigh armor doesn't stay on well enough to hide its gap, but the concept is far better than I expected otherwise.

Bottom line on C-3PO is an interesting design exercise, and some real improvements for C-3PO figures taken outside the context of this figure, but this is a finished product that has 3 significant enough problems (tiny size, dumpy proportions, posing issues; plus several notable nitpicks) that, while I like some of this figure outside the context, I cannot recommend this figure on the overarching merits.

You missed the removable panel on his back, for a total of 4 removable panels. Also, I haven't had any trouble with the thigh panel falling off on my figure, in fact I usually have to work to get it off. It's the face panel that likes to fall off a lot for me. So it might vary from figure to figure.

To me, the width of the hips seems more accurate to his ANH design. I don't know, everything about the figure just feels right to me. I actually did the math on his height and given that the "official Lucasfilm" height for Threepio is listed as 1.67 meters and assuming that 3.75" is intended to represent 6 feet, then this Threepio is actually just a fraction of a millimeter too tall. However, that could be due to Lucasfilm's numbers being wrong, since they list Luke as 2 inches taller than Threepio, when Threepio was clearly taller than Luke in the film.

I'm actually not a fan of the U-3PO mold. It looks too chunky in the legs and thighs (he has "thunder thighs") and the head seems too small.

For me, this Threepio is perfect and, while the size was a little jarring at first, it's not a problem for me anymore as I become more accustomed to the figure (kind of like how the correctly scaled Leias were a little weird initially, but now they just feel right).

JediTricks

07-15-2010, 06:23 PM

You missed the removable panel on his back, for a total of 4 removable panels. Also, I haven't had any trouble with the thigh panel falling off on my figure, in fact I usually have to work to get it off. It's the face panel that likes to fall off a lot for me. So it might vary from figure to figure. You're right, I did miss that panel. I'm not alone, RS missed it as well in their photos. I'll add it to my review.

As for which panel falls off, I see they put pegs on the thigh, so I could understand that staying. I've added "on mine" to my review (although now that you mention it, it doesn't take much for the mask on mine to come off), but note that I didn't call out the loose panels as one of the 3 major issues this figure suffers, so I stand by that final call regardless of whether the thigh stays on tightly or not.

To me, the width of the hips seems more accurate to his ANH design. I don't know, everything about the figure just feels right to me. I actually did the math on his height and given that the "official Lucasfilm" height for Threepio is listed as 1.67 meters and assuming that 3.75" is intended to represent 6 feet, then this Threepio is actually just a fraction of a millimeter too tall. However, that could be due to Lucasfilm's numbers being wrong, since they list Luke as 2 inches taller than Threepio, when Threepio was clearly taller than Luke in the film.It's dead wrong either ANH or ESB, 3PO's hips are totally straight, it's the coverings of the thighs that flare out and Hasbro screwed that up royally by flaring the crotch (and oversizing it).

This figure stands 3 and 13/32nds inches tall (damned micrometer is in imperial-only because it's so old). So that's 3.406", or 8.651cm. If I apply the 1:18 scale to these (since Hasbro's figures are more scaled to each other and not always to the 3.75" height anymore), at 1:18, that would be 155.718cm, or 12 scale centimeters shorter than it should be (in Imperial measurements, that's just 61.306" or 5' 1"). Moreover, I can't accept that this figure is in scale because then EVERY recent Luke and Leia is oversized despite being tiny, they're already on the small side and this 3PO is noticeably smaller than them. If 3.75" were still the 6' equivalent, the line would be exactly 1:19.2 scale, which gets us into quite a mess but may be correct if we assume a Stormtrooper were 6' boots to helmet. But in terms of proportions, look at the scale between the 2 characters here, it just doesn't match up to the 3PO figure: http://pdbb.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/c3po-and-luke.jpg
the arms and head are totally out of scale to the rest of the line when compared to that photo, even if 3PO really is 5' 4" (167cm officially) and Luke is 5' 6" (172cm officially, despite both Mark Hamill and Anthony Daniels being 175cm and 3PO's costume head adding a few centimeters more height).

There's no standard I can apply where this figure scales to the other figures in the line, whether 1:18 or 1:19.2 scale, it's still too small. It's a fun item if this were the only SW figure ever released, but it cannot be a slave to StarWars.com's databank numbers which are dead wrong. I've stood near Anthony Daniels, he's just not that slight, neither with a body that skinny nor in height, I'm 6', I know the difference between 5' 4" and 5' 7".

I'm glad you enjoy the figure, I sorta like it too, but I have to stand fast on the claim that it has significant scale flaws, and I also feel it has proportional issues unto itself.

JediTricks

07-16-2010, 04:48 AM

Cloud Car Pilot - This is based off the vintage design, all-white body with yellow markings (although the yellow here is lighter and not found on the helmet), which itself came from McQuarrie's concept art. It differs from the OTC version which has different markings and orange shoulder armor, some say this is the movie design but it's hard to know, given we never see them except in a model. There are a lot of other differences between this figure and the OTC, gloves, belt, even height, the OTC is a tad tall. This new pilot is pretty simple, standard super-articulated except for a swivel waist, this is your basic "worker bee" SW figure. Sculpting is good but not oustandingly sharp or detailed. The figure is mustachioed, although the picture of the ILM model on the card front shows a non-mustachioed pilot in the model. The figure sports a tiny pistol which fits into a holster on his plastic "skirt", but the holster seems designed for a longer gun, it's an odd hook design. The other part of the skirt has a belt pack on a cord molded into its details and painted. The helmet is notably smaller than the OTC's, more in line with McQuarrie's art, but I don't like the fit too well, its small size keeps it sitting high on the head, and the head is ball-jointed slightly craned forward which makes it always tilted down. So how does he sit in the Cloud Car? Not all that great, actually. The plastic "skirt" keeps his legs from bending far enough up at the hips to sit up straight, so he either slouches down or you can pull him up so he "floats" above the seat, but then he rattles. His yellow coloring is easily lost on his white plastic, and almost none shows from the canopy, so he looks pretty boring, especially compared to the more dynamic OTC version. But his sculpting is a little sharper, and he's what's available now, so there are 2 points over that 6-year-old figure.

All in all, this new Cloud Car Pilot doesn't thrill me, he's pretty drab actually, and he doesn't sit that well in the Cloud Car which is a tad disappointing. He's not a terrible figure, but he's certainly not outstanding either, and I suppose that's why we haven't gotten a Cloud Car army before now. He has vintage credibility I guess, but that doesn't carry it too far in my eyes.

And now onto the star of this wave in my eyes...

Luke Bespin - Hasbro released a previous "vintage-style" modern Luke Bespin only 3 years ago in the 30th Anniversary Collection's vintage subline, but it had a lot of issues, so they went back to the drawing board and gave us this all-new one. Oddly, they issued it on the same vintage-style card as the last one, despite the Kenner vintage line having 2 different cards for Luke Bespin, 1 with a muddy, dark, poor resolution picture of Luke standing in the outfit, and another of a dynamic, clear close-up of Luke against a blue background. Naturally, Hasbro decided to go with the muddy version *both* times... uh, why? Anyway, the figure is in the blister tray holding his lit light saber in his right hand, an unlit hilt in the upper left of the tray, and his blaster pistol stowed in his holster. The gun on mine was stuck in its holster, but eventually came out with some care.

This figure stands about 1/3rd a head taller than the Luke Jedi figure we got last year, and is scaled to match. This Luke is scaled very well, the figure isn't too skinny but lets the outfit's lines carry the bulk just as it should, and the figure is a bit hip-y but the movie outfit was too. The arms aren't too long, and the waist isn't too high. The outfit sculpt is very nice, lots of little wrinkles and natural shapes, there's a slight sculpted fabric pattern on the pants, they finally got the flipped-up collar right, and even the ribbed undershirt is sculpted to show when the torso articulation is used. Those weird ESB cloth boots show up well here, and they hide the ankle articulation superbly. All the articulation is well-integrated really. The outfit is sculpted without the action wear that other versions have, no torn pockets here. The gun belt is a separate piece. The facial sculpt is very recognizable, and the hair has the look down to match, this is another Luke likeness that Hasbro has gotten pretty well down and it's getting scary after years of awful Lukenesses. :p The expression is neutral, serious but not freaked out or angry. The hands are both sculpted in trigger-pulling poses.

Deco is good, they finally got the color of the outfit right, but they went to town with the weathered paint washing. That said, I just checked my source images, and the outfit is quite dirty from the moment we get to Cloud City, but on this figure it's not entirely even, especially on the undershirt, though it gets away with this pretty well. The boots are well-painted, the collared neck is done pretty decently, and the accessories are all well-decorated. The head has big blue eyes, mine has 1 bigger than the other, but they stay just inside the realm of "not too big for a figure". The hair is interesting, it's brown with orange highlights, and while they went a little heavy with the highlight paint, they chose the right color thankfully where previously they would have gone with yellow if any highlights.

Accessories start with the saber and hilt, they're the newest Luke ESB design and they're done right all the way down to the paint. There's a peg on each hilt which fits into a very small loop on the gun belt, great touch. The gun belt itself fits smartly at the waist and a loop at the right thigh, and it's removable since the figure comes apart at the torso, so you can have Luke ignore Yoda's warnings about not needing weapons in the cave. Finally, the blaster fits nicely into the holster but on mine sticks in there, it's black with a silver barrel and seems to be a new sculpt with more details from Luke's ESB pistol (it's similar to Han's ESB pistol, but with the scope lower down the right side). The gun fits well in Luke's hand, although his trigger finger doesn't quite fit into the guard hole.

Articulation is fantastic, it's well-integrated yet has tons of range of motion. This is super-articulated at its finest, the waist is a true ball-joint with lots of natural-looking range, the shoulders are ball-hinged but fully internal so no external hinge shows, the knees and ankles are barely recognizable from the front yet both rotate and hinge, and the cream of the crop is the ball-hinged hip joints. The hips are on a V-crotch so it requires more creative thinking when posing the legs (the thighs have to rotate out when they raise up), but this can do almost anything Luke did in the film, and look right doing it. The head is a standard ball joint, its up-and-down range is pretty limited though. And there's ball-hinged elbows and swivel wrists. So this thing can pose very expressively, from action to pensive to defiant, in ways no previous Luke could really pull off.

Bottom line, there are a few little nits to pick, but the overall take is that this Luke Bespin is an awesome action figure and I cannot see many ways for Hasbro to outdo their work after this one.

Darth Metalmute

07-16-2010, 08:51 AM

I knew I should have picked up that Luke. It looked good on the peg, but when I picked it up, the weathering on the clothes made me put it back.

Ando

07-16-2010, 11:39 AM

Bespin Luke was my favorite figure as a little kid and I remember crying when the head broke off and my mom fixing it with super glue. I have no idea whatever happened to that figure.

In 2007, right after my wife and I got married, we found a toy/comic store that had old, loose vintage SW toys, and my wife bought me a loose vintage Bespin Luke for $4.00. :love:

I thought the 2007 Vintage Bespin Luke was okay, but this new one is pretty darn good. I had the 2007 one in my BMF and I took him out to compare and the new one is SO much better. I am going to give my nephew the 2007 one next time he comes over.

Thanks for the reviews, JT.

AmanaMatt

07-16-2010, 12:16 PM

He has vintage credibility I guess, but that doesn't carry it too far in my eyes.

Threepio is the crappiest fig of all time.....in package only. Once opened, he's pretty great. Cant say the best version cause is he way TOO small, but he's really nice once you can futz with the pose. Pop off panels work really well, if the helmet portion does fall off kinda easy

Bespin Luke: best incarnation in this scale ever and an apology for that Jedi Luke last year

Dengar: best incarnation in this scale ever

At-At Commander: for a generic commander, best incarnation in this scale ever

Well, those are the only ones I've opened...everyone knows I gush over 'Vintage' lines, and this one is off to a good start (for the most part - wish that awful han didnt exist)

I really wish the zuckuss was re-released on the vintage card too so we could have had all the bounty hunters carded that way........but I guess we still are with the SDCC exclusive and all

JediTricks

07-16-2010, 01:42 PM

I have to add 2 comments to my Luke review...
* The right hand pops out of the socket, standard joint really but it works fine. I think they designed it to do this on purpose only because the peg from the hand is thicker than their usual style.
* Luke's arms can't get all the way in front of him for straight-armed 2-handed saber poses, this is unfortunately a limitation of most figures, so it is a posing restriction here, but he can do bent-arm 2-handed saber poses. I suppose that is 1 way they could improve on this figure.

I knew I should have picked up that Luke. It looked good on the peg, but when I picked it up, the weathering on the clothes made me put it back.I had the same thought at first, "too weathered", then I remembered I pulled a bunch of source images from ESB for a project I was doing a few years ago, and checked, look at this shot of Luke (he's under fire from Boba Fett, well before he gets into any action with Vader)...
23323
That's a dirty outfit! (and a goofy face. :p) So technically this figure should be even dirtier. Thankfully they didn't go further.

Bespin Luke was my favorite figure as a little kid and I remember crying when the head broke off and my mom fixing it with super glue. I have no idea whatever happened to that figure.So, in your play patterns, Vader cuts Luke's HEAD off? Did he say "Luke's hand, I am your father!" too? ;)

You're dead to me, man!!!! (just kidding, but that's crazy talk)Sorry, but nostalgia doesn't carry much nostalgia for me. :D He's a modern figure, he should stand on modern merits. It's fun to think about the vintage days, but I'm already miffed that we're paying extra for them while getting less accessories.

Threepio is the crappiest fig of all time.....in package only. Once opened, he's pretty great. Cant say the best version cause is he way TOO small, but he's really nice once you can futz with the pose. Pop off panels work really well, if the helmet portion does fall off kinda easyGood quickie review, although happier with it than I, it's kind of what I was trying to say, but as usual I overthought mine.

Bespin Luke: best incarnation in this scale ever and an apology for that Jedi Luke last yearHey, I like that Jedi Luke figure! And if you say "so what?" they're also releasing an updated version of it this year to fix issues we had. :p

Well, those are the only ones I've opened...everyone knows I gush over 'Vintage' lines, and this one is off to a good start (for the most part - wish that awful han didnt exist)To me, this is a basic figure line, not a "vintage-style" line, the lack of clamshell packaging and limited runs makes it different. But it is a pretty decent start to the concept, I definitely agree with you there.

Han is IMO not "awful", it's not perfect by any stretch, but of all the vintage-style Han figures (and their frankensteined children), I'd say this one works the best.

Ando

07-16-2010, 02:08 PM

No, I was 4 or 5 and didn't know better than to be too rough with my toys.

Plus Kenner used very brittle plastic material (compared to what Hasbro uses now).

bigbarada

07-16-2010, 02:34 PM

This figure stands 3 and 13/32nds inches tall (damned micrometer is in imperial-only because it's so old). So that's 3.406", or 8.651cm. If I apply the 1:18 scale to these (since Hasbro's figures are more scaled to each other and not always to the 3.75" height anymore), at 1:18, that would be 155.718cm, or 12 scale centimeters shorter than it should be (in Imperial measurements, that's just 61.306" or 5' 1"). Moreover, I can't accept that this figure is in scale because then EVERY recent Luke and Leia is oversized despite being tiny, they're already on the small side and this 3PO is noticeably smaller than them. If 3.75" were still the 6' equivalent, the line would be exactly 1:19.2 scale, which gets us into quite a mess but may be correct if we assume a Stormtrooper were 6' boots to helmet. But in terms of proportions, look at the scale between the 2 characters here, it just doesn't match up to the 3PO figure: http://pdbb.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/c3po-and-luke.jpg
the arms and head are totally out of scale to the rest of the line when compared to that photo, even if 3PO really is 5' 4" (167cm officially) and Luke is 5' 6" (172cm officially, despite both Mark Hamill and Anthony Daniels being 175cm and 3PO's costume head adding a few centimeters more height).

Okay, I already broke down the math. Going off of the assumption that 3.75" is intended to represent 6 feet (72 inches), then the scale of the entire Star Wars line becomes 1:19.2 as you already stated.

According to the "official" numbers, Threepio is 1.67 meters tall, or 65.748 inches:
http://www.starwars.com/databank/droid/c3po/index.html

I think Lucasfilm's numbers are off, but "officially" this figure is correctly scaled (unless you want to argue 1/50th of an inch).

JediTricks

07-16-2010, 02:57 PM

No, I was 4 or 5 and didn't know better than to be too rough with my toys. Ah, yeah, I have been revisiting memories of crashing my electronic battle-damaged X-wing into the turtle's tank over and over lately. It's just a thing kids do.

Plus Kenner used very brittle plastic material (compared to what Hasbro uses now).Technology has changed in the last 30 years, they didn't have access to the materials we do now, nor the tool-making abilities, which is what makes the figures not scale up in price the way something like cars or houses have over that amount of time.

Okay, I already broke down the math. Going off of the assumption that 3.75" is intended to represent 6 feet (72 inches), then the scale of the entire Star Wars line becomes 1:19.2 as you already stated.

According to the "official" numbers, Threepio is 1.67 meters tall, or 65.748 inches:
http://www.starwars.com/databank/droid/c3po/index.html

I think Lucasfilm's numbers are off, but "officially" this figure is correctly scaled (unless you want to argue 1/50th of an inch).That's weird about that extra millimeter you got out of your measurement. Is the torso joint on yours fully seated? Mine popped out yesterday after I was done measuring it, so it's possible yours could be too, especially since the stomach on yours is showing more than on mine.

As for the scale against the databank numbers, I refuse to accept those numbers as anything more than noise. They're the ones that say Darth Vader gained 6 inches of height in the armor alone, going from 1.85m to 2.02m, which obviously wouldn't scale his body properly. Comparing this 3PO to even the smallest Luke figure comes out like an entire scale size down, like Luke is 1:19.2 while 3PO is 1:20. You're an artist, look at the scale of 3PO's arms against Luke's arms, you can see the proportions are way off because 3PO is a smaller scale figure.

bigbarada

07-16-2010, 03:34 PM

That's weird about that extra millimeter you got out of your measurement. Is the torso joint on yours fully seated? Mine popped out yesterday after I was done measuring it, so it's possible yours could be too, especially since the stomach on yours is showing more than on mine.

As for the scale against the databank numbers, I refuse to accept those numbers as anything more than noise. They're the ones that say Darth Vader gained 6 inches of height in the armor alone, going from 1.85m to 2.02m, which obviously wouldn't scale his body properly. Comparing this 3PO to even the smallest Luke figure comes out like an entire scale size down, like Luke is 1:19.2 while 3PO is 1:20. You're an artist, look at the scale of 3PO's arms against Luke's arms, you can see the proportions are way off because 3PO is a smaller scale figure.

I did pop mine apart at the waist and put him back together, so maybe that's where the extra height came from. It does seem to be fully seated, though, because I haven't lost any range of motion at the waist.

I compared Threepio to Snowspeeder Luke and of course he looked tiny, but I'm pretty sure that Snowspeeder Luke is too tall. The only other non-vintage Luke figure I own is the Legacy Jedi Luke and he's packed away because I'm getting ready to move to a new house here in a few weeks.

JediTricks

07-16-2010, 04:14 PM

I did pop mine apart at the waist and put him back together, so maybe that's where the extra height came from. It does seem to be fully seated, though, because I haven't lost any range of motion at the waist.

I compared Threepio to Snowspeeder Luke and of course he looked tiny, but I'm pretty sure that Snowspeeder Luke is too tall. The only other non-vintage Luke figure I own is the Legacy Jedi Luke and he's packed away because I'm getting ready to move to a new house here in a few weeks.
Actually, his range of motion is a little hampered when fully seated, so it might be that.

I haven't measured Luke Snowspeeder, let me get him... 3 and 5/8ths", or 3.625". That's 9.2075cm, which scales at 1:19.2 scale to 176.784 cm. That is too tall for the databank info, but 5' 8" is a good compromise between the databank 5' 6.4" for Luke and the official 5' 9" for Mark Hamill. And as you said, 3PO is teeny compared to Snowspeeder Luke, almost a head shorter, and at the shoulders it's even worse, and the gauge of the arms is really bad IMO - there's really a person in that costume in the movies, here that person would have to be beyond waif-like.

I'll measure it against the smaller Luke Jedi now, he's 3 and 9/16ths, or 3.5625". 9.04875cm scales up to 173.736cm, 5' 7" on the money, half an inch taller than the databank's height. And yet this 3PO's eyes only come up to Luke's chin, and his shoulders to Luke's armpits. That is IMO a scale fail. I'm standing by my claim that this is a whole scale down, 1:20 instead of 1:19.

I just took a look at the figure pulled apart, in terms of internal proportions, the chest and crotch problems almost disappear (except for the flared hips), but it still scales badly to the other figures, and it's a bobble-body this way, obviously.

Congrats on the new house!

AmanaMatt

07-16-2010, 06:10 PM

hey, an updated Jedi luke would be cool, but I'd go for an all new updated one with the same level of love as the Bespin Luke...boy, that would rock

tagmac

07-18-2010, 04:50 PM

I really wish the zuckuss was re-released on the vintage card too so we could have had all the bounty hunters carded that way........but I guess we still are with the SDCC exclusive and all

Actually, it will be, albeit as an exclusive with 4-LOM, with the names reversed to match up with the vintage figures' error. Here's hoping HTS will have them available like the other exclusives.

Darth Metalmute

07-19-2010, 09:15 AM

I haven't really looked closely at it as I was in a hurry when I opened.

I got a chance to take another look at Dak this weekend. His chest is very small compared to the Snowspeeder Luke. He has no shoulderblades, just a neck attached to his spine with arms coming off.

Mr. JabbaJohnL

07-29-2010, 06:59 PM

My Target reset and restocked and I got seven of the new TVC figures, aside from Han, Boba, and the AT-AT Commander. They're all great, but sweet holy Moses, some of them are just downright astounding. Luke is probably the best figure they've ever done. It's so incredible in its articulation, sculpt, paint, accessories, just everything. Dengar, Leia, and C-3PO are also so damn good it's almost creepy (I love the details on the backside of C-3PO's panels). I do think Vader is an improvement over the last version, with at least the proper blue eyes finally. Dack's helmet is kind of gummy, but I'm glad to have him. The Cloud Car Pilot is well-done, but the design itself is somewhat boring, so you might not miss much if you pass on him.

But, again, seriously. Get Luke. You will regret if you don't.

El Chuxter

07-29-2010, 07:52 PM

I do think Vader is an improvement over the last version, with at least the proper blue eyes finally.

Huh?

Vader's eyes are brown. Not sure where you got blue from. I'm attaching a picture so you can see.

Maybe you mixed him up with Crystal Gayle?

Mr. JabbaJohnL

07-29-2010, 07:56 PM

Huh?

Vader's eyes are brown. Not sure where you got blue from. I'm attaching a picture so you can see.

Maybe you mixed him up with Crystal Gayle?
Welcome to 2004, my friend. (http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20070308013735/starwars/images/d/d0/Anakinredeemed.jpg)

El Chuxter

07-29-2010, 08:48 PM

Ah, do you have any idea how hard it is in 2010 to find a decent-quality screen capture of unmasked Vader as he appeared in 1983? This was meant to be a simple gag, but it took me about five minutes to find a picture that wasn't from the DVD.

Ah, do you have any idea how hard it is in 2010 to find a decent-quality screen capture of unmasked Vader as he appeared in 1983? This was meant to be a simple gag, but it took me about five minutes to find a picture that wasn't from the DVD.

Truth is, though, if you really think about it, Lucas should've made Hayden wear colored contacts instead of re-coloring Sebastian's eyes digitally.
Okay, that makes me feel better. I know your memory can be faulty with things like this, but that did seem like an awful big thing to forget (well, I figured you would have caught the eyebrows, at least). :p

I understand your thought process, but having Hayden wear brown contacts means they also would have had to make Jake wear brown contacts, each for several hours each day for several months, just to match up with a detail that lasts for about thirty seconds in ROTJ. From a fanboy standpoint, yeah, they should have given the young Anakin brown eyes. From a production standpoint, it makes sense that they'd do the other way around.

bigbarada

07-30-2010, 12:24 AM

I understand your thought process, but having Hayden wear brown contacts means they also would have had to make Jake wear brown contacts, each for several hours each day for several months, just to match up with a detail that lasts for about thirty seconds in ROTJ. From a fanboy standpoint, yeah, they should have given the young Anakin brown eyes. From a production standpoint, it makes sense that they'd do the other way around.

Or just cast brown-eyed actors.

DarkJedi5

07-30-2010, 02:58 AM

Well, I'm no geneticist but I'm pretty sure people would wonder how if Anakin had brown eyes and Padme had brown eyes how Luke ended up with blue eyes. I'm sure there's the possibility that blue eyes were a recessive trait that some how manifested but I don't really know.... Anyway, I think it's a lot easier to digitally change the eye color and from an artistic direction it makes more sense to have Anakin have blue eyes like Luke (which if I recall from TPM behind the scenes stuff they did look for actors who could plausibly be related to Mark and Carrie).

bkusna

07-30-2010, 01:30 PM

They explain the reason why han doesn't have his rank badge....because he didn't have one on when his hood was down and his coat open...that's the most accurate detail i could find.....:lipsrsealed:

JediTricks

07-30-2010, 04:11 PM

I don't think you know what the word "details" means. :p

I mentioned in my mini-review of the figure that the scene in the movie where Han is welding on the Falcon in that costume he's not wearing his rank badge.

JediTricks

08-01-2010, 03:33 PM

Anakin should be blue-eyed because, let's face it, Lucas is going with archetypes and right or wrong that is one of them for "protagonist" characters. Also, Luke has blue eyes so one of his progenitors should have them. That said, it never bothered me that unmasked Vader had brown eyes... or eyebrows.

I got Dak and Boba Fett, so I can add a little more to my comments.

Boba Fett I'm not even opening, this is the same figure as the Evo and its repaint last year. On comparison to the repaint, this Vintage version looks almost identical, just a very slightly lighter shade of green for the armor bits. There is some drift in the silver brushed elements, but that is usually a batch issue and not what I'd consider a true variant. This is really just nice to have on card, that's all.

Dack Ralter ("Dak" really) is my first figure using the Evolutions snowspeeder pilot body. The body itself is decent, but not quite as detailed as the new Luke, though slightly taller. The body has a different chest design, using the shoulder joints as more of the outfit, so the chest stops at the white vest which is a little unusual, but not a huge deal. The leg straps seem to get bunched up pretty easily. The orange color is slightly darker than Luke's. Dak's helmet is the proper design, though it lacks the wear that it originally had. The headsculpt underneath is pretty generic, kind of a grimacing face. It fits well in the gunner seat of the snowspeeder and thanks to rubbery hands it can grip the controls well. The figure comes with a Hoth Rebel rifle, and some pistol I don't quite recognize, neither of which are useful in a snowspeeder. All in all, a fair if generic figure.

TheDarthVader

08-02-2010, 02:26 PM

I have seen these and now I shall review. My review is different I believe from everyone else's review. (of course)

1. Dengar-- looks great! a much improved figure since the saga version....lots more articulation...paint apps look right on...I like it...will buy*

I have a feeling that, since the first wave of any new line is usually the easiest to get, I'll be getting at least one extra AT-AT Commander if they go on sale at some point. The figure isn't that impressive (not bad, but not great), but the head and goggles have some amazing customization potential.

DarkArtist

08-05-2010, 09:15 AM

went to Target last night and they have finally reset the SW area to have all of the new merchandise (10 AT-AT's) on an endcap as well as the first wave of Vintage (minus Luke and Leia) and of course all of the new CW stuff, cloud car, snowspeeder and the battlepacks, (assualt on Hoth, Anti-Hailfire Squad and others) it was a breath of fresh air to see SW back in force on the pegs.

unfortunately i did not get anything as I was looking for Bespin Luke and there was no sign of him.

Dark Marble

08-05-2010, 12:46 PM

unfortunately i did not get anything as I was looking for Bespin Luke and there was no sign of him.

Interesting...here is seems the Han is the first one to fly off the pegs with boba right behind him. Everything else seems to be hanging around, at least for a while.

Got 5 out of the 9 I wanted this morning and will wait a little bit for the rest. I am really glad to see the figures back on the pegs. I have been waiting for the Leia for my Falcon for a long time so it was nice to finally pick it up.

I am really pleased with the cards so it hurts when they end up in the garbage...oh well so much for nostalgia. :love:

DarkArtist

08-06-2010, 09:18 AM

finally found Bespin Luke and I have to say Hasbro really knocked one out of the ballpark with this figure..spot on Hamill likeness, accurate ESB lightsaber and blaster and the articulation is amazing..... Awesome Job Hasbro.

JediTricks

08-06-2010, 04:45 PM

I opened my second C-3PO from this wave. The helmet and thigh plates are on the figure better than on the first one. The odd paint weathering on the lower torso circle is slightly less off-center. The thigh panel stays on a little better, but still not great and still a little gappy - in fact, in the last 24 hrs since I opened it, the panel has misshapen to gap worse than when I opened it despite just standing on my desk. The ball-jointed torso on this new one doesn't pop or reset as easily as the first one, I may glue that one's torso to the popped height at this point.

Snowtrooper

08-06-2010, 09:28 PM

Went to Target and picked up Cloud Car Pilot, Dengar, Hoth Leia, Han, and another AT-AT Cmdr. I also got my order from HTS, so I've got the first wave except for 3P0. I picked up the Boba Fett helmet as well.

Neuroleptic

08-07-2010, 03:13 AM

So I went to target tonight and finaly saw the entire wave. In the end due to price I wound up buying only 3 figures at this time.

the three I bought where Darth vader, C-3PO and Hoth Leia.

I bought Darth Vader because of the changes to the helmet/head and because I THOUGHT they had corrected the hand due to how he's packaged. Well when I opened him I realized the right hand is the same one the first two part removable helmet came with. If I'd have known that, he'd have been an easy pass.

Hoth Leia is alright i suppose. She rounds out my empire strikes back core characters I was trying to get, so I kinda needed her for that reason in my collection. But she's not realy anything special.

However, the figure I was most impressed with was c-3po. Face, Head, back plate, cheast and upper right leg all come off (or at least, that's all I'v found so far). Only way this figure could have been better would have been if his arms and legs came off and he came with a bag to put him in. He's way better than I thought.

So what figure where you most impressed with?

jonthejedi

08-07-2010, 05:14 AM

Best Dengar ever!

AmanaMatt

08-07-2010, 10:09 AM

C-3Po deserves an honorable meantion for being pretty good - in package it looks awful; out of package, he's a little gem (key word 'little' I'm afraid)

Dengar just rocks - love everything about this figure and he's one of my fav ever

That said, Bespin Luke wins the award for wave 1 'fav figure': I think he's in my top 5 fav figures since the modern line begane in 1995, actually. Everything about him is a win: incredible articulation, incredible likeness, and working lightsaber belt

Snowtrooper

08-07-2010, 11:41 AM

I haven't taken anything out of the package yet, but here's how I'd rank them:

Interesting that when I first saw them at TRU, I only bought Han and immediately discounted Threepio and Dengar. Now I haven't seen any anywhere, but may try some stores today, being the FIRM street date of Aug. 6-7. :rolleyes:

bkusna

08-07-2010, 12:44 PM

I haven't taken anything out of the package yet, but here's how I'd rank them:

This list is RIGHT ON!!!! I've opened all of them and this is spot on.....I would place 3po behind dack and boba behind leia....

El Chuxter

08-07-2010, 01:15 PM

Then you are insane, since Boba, being a reissue, is worthless, and C-3PO isn't the best thing since sliced bread--he is better than the sliced bread. :p

Mr. JabbaJohnL

08-07-2010, 01:48 PM

Then you are insane, since Boba, being a reissue, is worthless, and C-3PO isn't the best thing since sliced bread--he is better than the sliced bread. :p
Boba is a more accurate repaint. I'm not as huge of a Boba nut as some people, but holy crap, he looks incredible. The Evolutions one is too dull in color, the Legacy Collection one is too vibrant, but this one is just right. Goldilocks would be pleased. :D

Bespin Luke is my favorite, and possibly the best figure they've ever done. Part of that could be personal preference, as I've always liked the main characters over the background guys. But, as has been stated, everything about him is awesomely awesome.

The bottom ones are still great, even if by themselves they're nothing outstanding.

AmanaMatt

08-07-2010, 01:58 PM

Not sure I get the hate for Vader. Sure, the head is awful and inferior to the last version, but its still a core Vader.....

Worst fig for me and only one I passed on: Han - truly, truly awful

bkusna

08-07-2010, 02:02 PM

what's up with Han's hairdo anyways? it looks like he was wearing a knit stocking cap for a week, robbed a bank, then went to echo base...in the movie, his hair is more "feathered" (excuse the 80's reference to crappy hair trends) and full....not this thin, tapered head sculpt :lipsrsealed::lipsrsealed::(:(

Mr. JabbaJohnL

08-07-2010, 02:09 PM

Not sure I get the hate for Vader. Sure, the head is awful and inferior to the last version, but its still a core Vader.....

Worst fig for me and only one I passed on: Han - truly, truly awful
What's wrong with it? The legs are too skinny, but everything else about it is pretty good.

JediTricks

08-07-2010, 02:18 PM

I'm going to merge this thread with the other TVC Wave 1 thread.

A thread, I might add, where I mentioned that Vader's the same as the previous except for the head. :p

Anyway, Bespin Luke is clearly the star of this wave. Fantastic figure, superb articulation and a much nicer sculpt than we're used to for the character.

After that, I'd put it in a tier system:

Tier 1:
Luke Bespin (for obvious reasons)

Tier 2:
Leia Hoth (just good work on a figure that's long needed it)
Vader (the removable helmet is a fine gimmick and makes the cape work better, the execution on the soft goods is also slightly better than before)
Dengar (this one almost falls to tier 3 with the small head and fall-off codpiece, but it has enough to hold the line)

Han is ugly. The head sculpt is less than what they've shown they can do, the legs are wonky, the holster doesn't fit, and there's no way to display him holding the mask in front of his face. (Small detail, I know, but if he's made to be scene-specific to a short scene, they should at least let you reproduce that scene!)

JJL, I used to be a huge Boba Fett fan. AOTC did to him what the past few years of Marvel Comics have done to Wolverine: destroy the mystique of a character whose entire appeal is his mystique. Yesterday in line at Costco, when I had the two BattlePacks, my daughter said, "I like the little boy! Who is he, daddy?" And I had to respond, "The death of all that was ever cool about Boba Fett."

DarkJedi5

08-07-2010, 02:58 PM

Then you are insane, since Boba, being a reissue, is worthless, and C-3PO isn't the best thing since sliced bread--he is better than the sliced bread. :p

Worthless? The first time I bought this figure (in the Evolutions set) it was missing the very recognizable emblem on the chest. Then they rereleased this figure with glitter paint (and the corrected chest deco) so I passed. Finally, they put one right on the mark. I may buy three.

JediTricks

08-07-2010, 03:13 PM

They explain the reason why han doesn't have his rank badge....because he didn't have one on when his hood was down and his coat open...that's the most accurate detail i could find.....:lipsrsealed:I just remembered, I even took source images (for a side project back in '07) which shows this... see attached.

El Chuxter

08-07-2010, 03:34 PM

Worthless? The first time I bought this figure (in the Evolutions set) it was missing the very recognizable emblem on the chest. Then they rereleased this figure with glitter paint (and the corrected chest deco) so I passed. Finally, they put one right on the mark. I may buy three.

To me, those details are too minor to justify re-buying a figure (just like Jodo Kast is too minor a character to re-buy him in a better form). To each his own, though.

Funny thing, though, you actually convinced me I may need this figure after all. When I went to respond, I remembered I passed on the Evolutions set and only got Jango in a trade. So I actually don't have the Evolutions Boba mold, after all. :D

bkusna

08-07-2010, 03:41 PM

I just remembered, I even took source images (for a side project back in '07) which shows this... see attached.

i think it was actually from another scene where Han has his coat open....that's why the vintage figure was sculpted that way.....i'm gonna go check

JediTricks

08-07-2010, 03:41 PM

To me, those details are too minor to justify re-buying a figure (just like Jodo Kast is too minor a character to re-buy him in a better form). To each his own, though.

Funny thing, though, you actually convinced me I may need this figure after all. When I went to respond, I remembered I passed on the Evolutions set and only got Jango in a trade. So I actually don't have the Evolutions Boba mold, after all. :D
Jerk. :p

Yeah, I ended up with the new Boba Fett as a gift, and it's a nifty item on card, but it's not massively different enough to warrant me purchasing so soon after the Evo and the TLC figure from last year.

Mr. JabbaJohnL

08-07-2010, 03:43 PM

Han is ugly. The head sculpt is less than what they've shown they can do, the legs are wonky, the holster doesn't fit, and there's no way to display him holding the mask in front of his face. (Small detail, I know, but if he's made to be scene-specific to a short scene, they should at least let you reproduce that scene!)

JJL, I used to be a huge Boba Fett fan. AOTC did to him what the past few years of Marvel Comics have done to Wolverine: destroy the mystique of a character whose entire appeal is his mystique. Yesterday in line at Costco, when I had the two BattlePacks, my daughter said, "I like the little boy! Who is he, daddy?" And I had to respond, "The death of all that was ever cool about Boba Fett."
The face is somewhat exaggerated, but to me, it still clearly looks like Han. It's not perfect, but it works just fine.

As I said, I was never a huge Boba fan. I didn't really understand the appeal when I was younger; sure, he looked cool, but not moreso than anything else in SW. I remember freaking out when I saw how awesome Jango looked and acted in AOTC in previews, actually using the equipment that his son could apparently never figure out how to use without dying. :p I know there's something to be said of his mystique, and that he doesn't need to be featured in every single story (though I don't think I've actually read any EU with Boba in it). But the three most recent Clone Wars episodes made Boba into a more well-rounded character than the movies ever did while still keeping at least some of the mystery, so I do like him more now.

At any rate, especially since you don't have that figure at all, I think it's definitely worth getting.

JediTricks

08-07-2010, 03:51 PM

i think it was actually from another scene where Han has his coat open....that's why the vintage figure was sculpted that way.....i'm gonna go check
You're right that it is from the welding scene which is a few shots later, but the continuity of his coat without gloves is the same. I checked, I just don't have the DVD handy right now to pull stills.

The face is somewhat exaggerated, but to me, it still clearly looks like Han. It's not perfect, but it works just fine.It's cartoony, that's how I put it to Derryl, but I agree with you that it works as Han. I think the unusual hairstyle is throwing some folks, but it works certainly better than those legs.

bkusna

08-07-2010, 03:55 PM

You're right that it is from the welding scene which is a few shots later, but the continuity of his coat without gloves is the same. I checked, I just don't have the DVD handy right now to pull stills.

It's cartoony, that's how I put it to Derryl, but I agree with you that it works as Han. I think the unusual hairstyle is throwing some folks, but it works certainly better than those legs.

one of the BEST han head sculpts is from legacy stormstrooper disguise or VTC han.....has anyone tried those heads with the NEW vintage han?

El Chuxter

08-07-2010, 04:00 PM

I didn't say the head was the worst sculpt ever. I just said it was "less than what they've shown they can do." :D

Call me insane, but something about Boba's initial mystique was the voice, which is gone now in the "canon" version of ESB. It's got that cool cowboy sound. Plus the way he's described in the ESB novelization, where no one knows anything about him, only that he has Wookiee scalps and a (likely stolen) Mandalorean suit. (Of course, all the insane amount of Mando-EU, and not just the Clone Wars, have sorta killed the coolness of the Mandalores. When you actually have half a book in a made-up language, something has jumped the shark somewhere.)

JediTricks

08-07-2010, 04:02 PM

The Legacy Stormtrooper Han is the same headsulpt as VOTC. The VTSC Han Endor is the same torso as this new figure, so they'd swap easily, but the VOTC and VTSC torsos use a slightly different-sized peg, so they may not swap as nicely (they're also different height necks so it'd look a bit off). The VTAC Han Hoth uses a slightly different peg system, I've never tried that head on another figure so I don't know if it'd work or not.

Personally, I think this likeness is more recognizable and would stick with it over those... maybe not the VTAC Hoth version though, but I will have to put them together to be sure.

Chux, what Han sculpt is better than this new one?

bkusna

08-07-2010, 04:07 PM

The Legacy Stormtrooper Han is the same headsulpt as VOTC. The VTSC Han Endor is the same torso as this new figure, so they'd swap easily, but the VOTC and VTSC torsos use a slightly different-sized peg, so they may not swap as nicely (they're also different height necks so it'd look a bit off). The VTAC Han Hoth uses a slightly different peg system, I've never tried that head on another figure so I don't know if it'd work or not.

Personally, I think this likeness is more recognizable and would stick with it over those... maybe not the VTAC Hoth version though, but I will have to put them together to be sure.

Chux, what Han sculpt is better than this new one?

i mean't the han solo DeathStar escape head...sorry

JediTricks

08-07-2010, 04:40 PM

I forgot about that head, on purpose, because it's so incredibly awful, the Walter Matthau likeness. It is on a VOTC torso, so it may not fit quite right on this body.

El Chuxter

08-07-2010, 09:59 PM

I still say the Rise of Cobra Aqua-Viper is a better Ford likeness than they've ever gotten. Barring that, the POTJ Cantina Han is still pretty close.

And, thanks to DarkJedi5's jogging my memory, I got the Fett today.

Mr. JabbaJohnL

08-07-2010, 10:05 PM

I still say the Rise of Cobra Aqua-Viper is a better Ford likeness than they've ever gotten. Barring that, the POTJ Cantina Han is still pretty close.

And, thanks to DarkJedi5's jogging my memory, I got the Fett today.
There's no such thing as a POTJ cantina Han. The formerly-ubiquitous cantina-based Han was from the POTF2 line, with the Commtech chip. The sculpting (http://www.rebelscum.com/photo.asp?image=/POTF2/POTF2CThanfr.jpg) on that one is incredibly soft for today's standards. Without rose-colored glasses, it looks pretty poor.

I'm not a huge fan of the VOTC/VTSC/VTAC heads, as the space between the nose and mouth is too long and the head overall looks too small on anything aside from the original 2004 VOTC Han (same goes for his legs). I mean, I know it's supposed to be Han, but it doesn't really objectively look too much like him.

I still quite like the head from the Shield Generator Assault battle pack, though the neck is too long to it screws it up.

As I said, at least the new Echo Base one looks like Han, which is more than can be said of most other sculpts.

El Chuxter

08-07-2010, 10:12 PM

POTF2... my bad.

The sculpt is soft. But I'd rather have a soft sculpt that can pass for Harrison than an exact sculpt that definitely isn't him. The new one looks like the right guy, but when he's stoned, or something.

bigbarada

08-08-2010, 02:58 PM

I never thought the Commtech Han was really all that great, not even in 1999. His face was way too angular and doesn't really look any more like Harrison Ford than the VOTC or any other Han Solo figure. In my opinion, the closest Hasbro has ever come to making a perfect Harrison Ford likeness was the POTJ Death Star Escape Han, it's just too bad that figure had to be ruined by such a wonky pose.

Overall, though, VOTC is still the best Han Solo figure ever made.

Anyways, I found more of this wave yesterday. I picked up Dak, but only because I need him for my Snowspeeder.

I also got the AT-AT Commander, who is pretty good, but nothing really stellar. I haven't found a helmet/goggle combination that looks really good yet. Trying to put the goggles over his eyes and then fit the helmet over that causes the helmet to warp so much that it looks ridiculous. I ended up just soaking the goggles in hot water and stretching them over the outside of the helmet where they will stay permanently.

Found Luke Bespin and Dengar as well, but passed on them for now. They look like they are well made figures, but I just can't get excited about either of them.

Ando

08-09-2010, 12:24 PM

Yesterday in line at Costco, when I had the two BattlePacks...

Is CostCo carrying battle packs now? Are these CostCo exclusive BP's?

DarkArtist

08-09-2010, 12:36 PM

still need to get Dak, AT-AT Commander, another Leia for a custom, and perhaps C-3PO and Dengar.... might be passing on both Han and Vader.

El Chuxter

08-09-2010, 01:04 PM

Is CostCo carrying battle packs now? Are these CostCo exclusive BP's?

I started a thread under The Legacy Collection, since they're last year's Battle Packs, taped together in pre-set combos. (I wanted the Endor set with the Ewok hang glider; it only came with the stupid Kamino set of 2002 figures.)

JediTricks

08-09-2010, 02:28 PM

So, now that the wave has hit fully, what is folks' verdict on it?

I'm thinking it's a fairly solid wave that has 1 too many figures (4-LOM), not everything is a home run but it's very strong and even the weaker figures have something going for it. The extra buck is a hard pill to swallow though, which takes it from a B+ to a B- in my book.

El Chuxter

08-09-2010, 02:34 PM

So, now that the wave has hit fully, what is folks' verdict on it?

Overall, one of the best waves in the line's history. Probably the most consistently good (by current standards) wave since the POTJ line. [I'm not saying POTJ figures are as good as current ones, just that most of the POTJ waves were consistently near the peak of what Hasbro was capable of at the time.]

I'd sacrifice 4-LOM (or maybe put him in an all-repack wave, which would include Zuckuss). Passed on Vader, since, for me, the three-piece helmet is a non-issue and the eyes being blue are a minor enough detail to not care about for $8.

I'm glad I was reminded that I never got Evolutions Fett; this Fett is definitely the best one yet, and he's so good, he actually recaptures the magic Fett had back in 1980, making me forget Daniel Logan, Karen Traviss, and "A Barve Like That."

I still say C-3PO is the best C-3PO yet made, even if I would've liked him to have removable limbs.

JediTricks

08-09-2010, 02:40 PM

Overall, one of the best waves in the line's history. And one of the first waves in the line's history. ;) :D Mwah ha ha! I know that's not what you meant!

El Chuxter

08-09-2010, 02:57 PM

Eh, for me, it's been one continuous line since 1995 under various names.

Okay, I partly take that back. The two cartoony series based on the different Clone Wars cartoons are separate, so it's really been three lines. :D

Darth Metalmute

08-11-2010, 02:35 PM

So, now that the wave has hit fully, what is folks' verdict on it?

Outside of the initial "early bird" hit at TRU, I have not been to a store that has the new figures. Both Walmart and Meijer have not participated in the isle restart. Both have 5 rows of racks with one Red Card figure on it with clearance stickers on the racks. I'm going to check out Target tonight, but have low hopes.

JediTricks

08-11-2010, 05:14 PM

Target by my house had this wave out last night.

bkusna

08-11-2010, 06:38 PM

Outside of the initial "early bird" hit at TRU, I have not been to a store that has the new figures. Both Walmart and Meijer have not participated in the isle restart. Both have 5 rows of racks with one Red Card figure on it with clearance stickers on the racks. I'm going to check out Target tonight, but have low hopes.

you need to move to oklahoma....all targets in the WHOLE state had the new star wars stuff out last week....

Rik Duel

08-11-2010, 06:39 PM

I have to give credit, this is the first time, well, ever, that the figures were available and easy to find right away. And on top of that, they're all quite good. I wish Bespin Luke was on the other vintage card (and when they get to ANH Han and Luke they use the alternate cards for them) but this is the best wave in a long time. The snowpspeeder and cloud car are really nice too. I thought I was out but they pulled me back in.

JediTricks

08-11-2010, 06:45 PM

I have to give credit, this is the first time, well, ever, that the figures were available and easy to find right away. And on top of that, they're all quite good. I wish Bespin Luke was on the other vintage card (and when they get to ANH Han and Luke they use the alternate cards for them) but this is the best wave in a long time. The snowpspeeder and cloud car are really nice too. I thought I was out but they pulled me back in.
That was Hasbro's very plan, to draw back the fans that left the brand during the last line.

Rik Duel

08-11-2010, 08:15 PM

Yeah I really thought I was done. But it turns out I wanted good quality trilogy figures and vehicles without driving all over town for them. What a concept!

Bel-Cam Jos

08-11-2010, 08:25 PM

Well, I found out the secret way to find some new figures; go to a store (let's say, Target) and buy TV dinners (with coupons! :D ), then check the toy department. Ta dah!

can't believe you gave up your secret lol......i usually tell the wife we some more..ummm....weed eater string so i'll be right back ..1 am run:thumbsup:

Darth Metalmute

08-12-2010, 08:41 AM

Hooray! Target had them last night. I picked up the AT-AT commander for my AT-AT whenever I pick that up. They had every figure but Boba Fett. I'm eventually going to regret putting down Luke everytime I see him.

I was going to pick up the Hoth battle pack, but I put it down. Had it included more Snowtroopers, instead of the '83 speeder bike, I would have picked it up.

They had the RC vehicle, but it is disappointing in person for a 60 dollar vehicle.

Boba Fett's gear and Grevious' lightsaber were also in.

Note on the Saga Legends Snowtrooper: It appears to be a running change. The legs are more together than the ESB wave from late last year. This one doesn't look like it's riding a horse.

Sidenote on target exclusives: What is in the Halo Reach box set? It says there is four figures, yet the box looks like it fits 12.

Bel-Cam Jos

08-15-2010, 04:38 PM

I finally decided to pick up Luke and Threepio. Have not yet opened them, but that will be forthcoming. Still haven't seen Fett.

Mr. JabbaJohnL

08-16-2010, 12:59 PM

Note on the Saga Legends Snowtrooper: It appears to be a running change. The legs are more together than the ESB wave from late last year. This one doesn't look like it's riding a horse.
That's a change in packaging only, not sculpt. The bubble forces the legs together more.

Bel-Cam Jos

08-16-2010, 08:40 PM

I finally found Fett: a fair... uh, word that means depiction or version but starts with an 'F' to complete the alliteration. ;) Threepio's leg and head openings were unexpectedly cool, and Luke's belt seems more like the film costume; great.

I love these old style blisters. I hope Hasbro keeps them forever.

bkusna

08-16-2010, 08:47 PM

I finally found Fett: a fair... uh, word that means depiction or version but starts with an 'F' to complete the alliteration. ;) Threepio's leg and head openings were unexpectedly cool, and Luke's belt seems more like the film costume; great.

I love these old style blisters. I hope Hasbro keeps them forever.

right on man....now what?.....wave 2?

JediTricks

08-16-2010, 10:36 PM

I love these old style blisters. I hope Hasbro keeps them forever.Not me, they limit what accessories can be included, they leave the figure as undynamic as it can get, and on several of mine, the blisters come off the cards fairly easily so they won't survive too much abuse.

Darth Metalmute

08-17-2010, 09:09 AM

That's a change in packaging only, not sculpt. The bubble forces the legs together more.

If that's all it takes, I'm taking a vice grip to my other snow troopers.
They all look like they are riding a pony.

El Chuxter

08-18-2010, 02:00 AM

Is it just me, or, aside from the third removable part to the helmet, are the Vintage Wave 1 Vader and the Legends Wave 2 Vader exactly the same figure?

That's not going to be confusing to those not keeping a scorecard, is it? ;)

DarkJedi5

08-18-2010, 02:14 AM

Is it just me, or, aside from the third removable part to the helmet, are the Vintage Wave 1 Vader and the Legends Wave 2 Vader exactly the same figure?

That's not going to be confusing to those not keeping a scorecard, is it? ;)

I think you forget the brown eyes/blue eyes discussion from a while back. So yes, the extra removable part and a new eye color.

El Chuxter

08-18-2010, 02:19 AM

I've not seen the "new" one unmasked in person, but the Legends figure is unmasked in the package. The eyes are so small, they looked like they were just black lines to me.

Darth Metalmute

08-18-2010, 08:56 AM

If that's all it takes, I'm taking a vice grip to my other snow troopers.
They all look like they are riding a pony.

I got my AT-AT yesterday and started to set the snowtroppers up on it. I tried to close the gap in there legs but all it did was make the joints loose. The only way they will stand is if you put pegs in both of their feet.
"Sigh" I guess I have to buy more Legends Snowtroopers.:upset:

DarkJedi5

08-18-2010, 09:51 AM

I got my AT-AT yesterday and started to set the snowtroppers up on it. I tried to close the gap in there legs but all it did was make the joints loose. The only way they will stand is if you put pegs in both of their feet.
"Sigh" I guess I have to buy more Legends Snowtroopers.:upset:

Did you boil them in hot water first? That's usually the best way to make the plastic malleable and it generally keeps whatever position you can get it into.

Darth Metalmute

08-18-2010, 03:55 PM

Did you boil them in hot water first? That's usually the best way to make the plastic malleable and it generally keeps whatever position you can get it into.

No, but I'll give that a try tonight. Thanks for the tip.

JediTricks

08-18-2010, 04:28 PM

If that's all it takes, I'm taking a vice grip to my other snow troopers.
They all look like they are riding a pony.The tray warps them slowly over the course of time soon after manufacture, this won't work the same any other way. Even heating the plastic won't likely do it at this point, as it's thermoset plastic and would require being pretty well melted to reset its shape.

Is it just me, or, aside from the third removable part to the helmet, are the Vintage Wave 1 Vader and the Legends Wave 2 Vader exactly the same figure?

That's not going to be confusing to those not keeping a scorecard, is it? ;)There is a difference in the head itself, the head on this Vintage figure is totally removable where the Legends one based on 2008's Legacy Vader is not. The removable head makes moving the cape possible, as I did here:
http://yfrog.com/5bvadercompareeditj
It's also a slightly different piece of soft goods, the Vintage version has slightly nicer cut-n-sew and a slightly closer knit to the fabric which makes it a little less transparent and more poseable.

This figure is only in wave 2 rev 0, none of the revision cases have it.

bigbarada

08-30-2010, 10:03 AM

I was going to start a thread for people to rank the wave 1 figures from best to worst; but then decided that it would work just fine in here.

Here's my ranking of the figures that I actually own:

1. See-Threepio - best figure of the wave and easily in my top ten for greatest Star Wars figure of all time!
2. Bespin Luke - I just can't get past those hips. Everything else is pretty amazing, but..... those hips..... lol
3. Hoth Leia - The wide stance and lack of ankle articulation make her seem like a less than definitive version of the character.
4. Dengar - everything is great about this figure except for the fact that mine can't stand on his own and I just don't care enough about Dengar to buy another one to see if it's just this particular figure. Plus his codpiece barely stays on and the details on his back are incorrect for his ROTJ appearance.
5. AT-AT Commander - uniform color is a little light and the helmet and goggles look goofy no matter what you do with them, but I still really like the figure.
6. Dak Ralter - I only bought him for my Snowspeeder, nothing really impressive or interesting about this figure at all.
7. Cloud Car Pilot - I actually bought him, but then returned him to the store a couple of days later without even opening him. His weird sloping shoulders and gorilla arms were the deal breaker for me.

Don't own:
Han Solo (Hoth Hanger) - I won't buy another Han Solo figure that uses those VOTC legs.
Boba Fett - for some reason he just seems too tall (which is ironic considering where I ranked Threepio), but I think it's the Jangohead that bothers me the most.
Darth Vader - I've read enough positive reviews to make me want to buy this figure, but he's just sold out in my area right now. I'm sure he'll show up against soon.
4-LOM - Wasn't super impressed with this figure in 2007 and he looks even less impressive now.

Darth Metalmute

08-30-2010, 11:01 AM

I like the Vader figure but I have a couple of problems.
1.) The helmet comes off too easily.
2.) And this may be more of a complaint with the AT-AT, He is so tall, he doesn't fit in the AT-AT head. I was trying to stand him next to the AT-AT commander and when I shut the lid, his helmet fell off and the top didn't close.

JON9000

08-30-2010, 11:09 AM

With regards to 3PO, I like the vac-metallized finish more than the gold. I've seen the prop, and I know the new finish is more prop accurate, but the vac-met just looks more like what I perceive on-screen.

I like the Vader, but I really wish they would have put the ball joint hips on him, as the skirt would cover the wonkiness that kills the Luke figure.

I love the Leia, but it I agree that it looks like she has a bladder control problem and wears Depends.

I have to say I love the cardbacks... totally superficial, but I almost hate opening my figures now!

bigbarada

08-30-2010, 12:14 PM

With regards to 3PO, I like the vac-metallized finish more than the gold. I've seen the prop, and I know the new finish is more prop accurate, but the vac-met just looks more like what I perceive on-screen.

I think I always knew that any super-articulated Threepio would have to lose the vac-metallized finish; so I've been prepared for that for years now. The Clone Wars Threepio is actually the first SA Threepio, but is too much of a dark, dull, plastic, bronze color and doesn't look gold at all. This one seems to be the perfect balance of shininess and articulation. At least in terms of what current toy technology is able to mass produce.

bkusna

08-30-2010, 12:24 PM

I was going to start a thread for people to rank the wave 1 figures from best to worst; but then decided that it would work just fine in here.

Here's my ranking of the figures that I actually own:

1. See-Threepio - best figure of the wave and easily in my top ten for greatest Star Wars figure of all time!
2. Bespin Luke - I just can't get past those hips. Everything else is pretty amazing, but..... those hips..... lol
3. Hoth Leia - The wide stance and lack of ankle articulation make her seem like a less than definitive version of the character.
4. Dengar - everything is great about this figure except for the fact that mine can't stand on his own and I just don't care enough about Dengar to buy another one to see if it's just this particular figure. Plus his codpiece barely stays on and the details on his back are incorrect for his ROTJ appearance.
5. AT-AT Commander - uniform color is a little light and the helmet and goggles look goofy no matter what you do with them, but I still really like the figure.
6. Dak Ralter - I only bought him for my Snowspeeder, nothing really impressive or interesting about this figure at all.
7. Cloud Car Pilot - I actually bought him, but then returned him to the store a couple of days later without even opening him. His weird sloping shoulders and gorilla arms were the deal breaker for me.

Don't own:
Han Solo (Hoth Hanger) - I won't buy another Han Solo figure that uses those VOTC legs.
Boba Fett - for some reason he just seems too tall (which is ironic considering where I ranked Threepio), but I think it's the Jangohead that bothers me the most.
Darth Vader - I've read enough positive reviews to make me want to buy this figure, but he's just sold out in my area right now. I'm sure he'll show up against soon.
4-LOM - Wasn't super impressed with this figure in 2007 and he looks even less impressive now.

Totally agree with you about Bespin Luke's hips.....don't get me wrong, he's an awesome figure, but it seems as if his hips were made for childbirthing....lol

Bel-Cam Jos

08-30-2010, 07:45 PM

Here's my ranking of the figures that I actually own:

1. See-Threepio - best figure of the wave and easily in my top ten for greatest Star Wars figure of all time!
2. Bespin Luke - I just can't get past those hips. Everything else is pretty amazing, but..... those hips..... lol
3. Hoth Leia - The wide stance and lack of ankle articulation make her seem like a less than definitive version of the character.
4. Dengar - everything is great about this figure except for the fact that mine can't stand on his own and I just don't care enough about Dengar to buy another one to see if it's just this particular figure. Plus his codpiece barely stays on and the details on his back are incorrect for his ROTJ appearance.
5. AT-AT Commander - uniform color is a little light and the helmet and goggles look goofy no matter what you do with them, but I still really like the figure.
6. Dak Ralter - I only bought him for my Snowspeeder, nothing really impressive or interesting about this figure at all.
7. Cloud Car Pilot - I actually bought him, but then returned him to the store a couple of days later without even opening him. His weird sloping shoulders and gorilla arms were the deal breaker for me.

Don't own:
Han Solo (Hoth Hanger) - I won't buy another Han Solo figure that uses those VOTC legs.
Boba Fett - for some reason he just seems too tall (which is ironic considering where I ranked Threepio), but I think it's the Jangohead that bothers me the most.
Darth Vader - I've read enough positive reviews to make me want to buy this figure, but he's just sold out in my area right now. I'm sure he'll show up against soon.
4-LOM - Wasn't super impressed with this figure in 2007 and he looks even less impressive now.Which do I own, too, and how'd I rank 'em?
1. Cloud Car Pilot (I've nothing against his :beard: or arms, and he looks slightly different enough from his Kenner version)
2. See-Threepio (I don't see the "among the greatest figures ever"
3. aspect, but the face and leg panels are cool additions)
4. Boba Fett (mine doesn't have a head, just a chin, which is a different detail that matches the movies; does anyone else have an actual Jango clone face?)
5. Han han han Base (he's okay, but I can see the weak legs issue)
6. Bespin Luke (how can such a cool and "hip" :rolleyes: costume consistently get the shaft? best Bespin Luke IMHO is still the Kenner one)
7. Dengar (sorry, Chuxter; he's just another figure to me :( )
Don't gots (and no desire to get):
Vader, AT-AT Commander, 4-LOM
Don't gots (but might break down and do so):
Leia, Dak